The Difference Between Offset and Digital Printing
When you talk to a
printing company do you know whether you want offset or digital printing for
your project, or do you know the difference? Most people think printing is
printing! In this week’s blog, we will explain the difference between these two
printing methods. Hopefully, this information will help you make an easier
decision during your next print project.
Offset Printing
There were two
versions of offset printing developed. In 1875 Robert Marclay of England
developed offset printing to print on tin, while in 1904 Ira Washing Rubel of
the United States developed offset printing to print on paper. Offset printing
uses plates that are generally made from aluminum. The plates are used to
transfer the inked imaged from a plate to a rubber blanket. Then they are
transferred from the rubber blanket to the printing surface. The ink is not
transferred directly onto the paper which is why this process is called offset.
A large reel of paper is fed through a large press machine in several parts.
The paper needs to be continually fed through the machine and the project will
continue to print.
Offset Printing can
have a longer turnaround time due to the setup and maintenance. This style of
printing is usually used for printing larger quantities. There is also a price
break per piece when you print more pieces, which makes offset printing very
cost-effective for a large print job. However, if you have a small print job
the price per piece can be very high with the setup charges. A few more pluses
are you can print with special inks like metallic and Pantone colors. The print
job when completed has amazing detail and color.
Digital Printing
Digital printing does
not use the plate process instead, toner is used for a laser printer and liquid
ink for an inkjet printer. Digital printed will only print in grayscale or
CMYK. That means if you need a true Pantone color then digital printing will
not be the best option for your project. Digital printing is the way to go if
you have a small print project. There is a quick turnaround time since no
plates will need to be made. You can also have on-demand printing with digital.
Print jobs can be completed quickly so a company doesn’t need to buy more
printed pieces than needed at the time and must store the additional stock.
Another great advantage of digital printing is if you need to add different
coupons codes, names, or addresses onto the image digital printing allows you
to do these actions.
As an overview, both
ways are great for print projects for companies or organizations. The question
is do you need a large number of pieces printed if so, offset printing is the
best option while digital printing wins if you have a small quantity and a
short turnaround time.
At Lake Printing we
have both options available to our customers. Feel free to browse our portfolio
on our website www.LakePrinting.com to see some of the projects we have
completed for our customers. As the printing hub of the Midwest, we would love
to work with your company on your next print project.
You Can Trust Lake Printing for Your Large & Small Print Needs
You Can Trust Lake Printing for Your Large & Small Print Needs
Comments
Post a Comment